Næniusk
Begonian is the English name for this conlang. Phonology Consonants Allophony #Plosives tend to be aspirated if word-initial or in a stressed syllable, preaspirated if following vowels and unaspirated when in the environment of consonants or at the end of a word. Though it is up to the individual whether to pre- or postaspirate fortis stops. (There’s a more detailed description regarding aspiration further below) #Some allophones of /x/ include: ç, ʝ (usually in the environment of front vowels), ɣ (esp. intervocalic) or χ. #Intervocalic lenis stops are replaced by the corresponding approximants or fricatives: /b/ --> or β̞, /d/ --> or ð̞, /ȡ/ --> j+, /g/ --> j or ɰ. In words with more than one intervocalic lenis stop, only the last one is changed to an approximant. Word-terminal lenis stops are deleted in speech, unless the next word starts with a vowel. In some dialects the preceding vowel is deleted (unless it is preceded by a diphthong or a stressed monophthong), especially if the deleted vowel is preceded by a plosive or nasal that does not share PoA with the deleted (lenis) stop. #Rule 3 does not apply if /b/, /d/, /ȡ/, /t/ appear geminate in writing: , < dd >, <ḍḍ>, - or if they appear in the onset of a stressed syllable. # /xw/ and /ʍ/ are in free variation. The sounds developed from ɧ, which some speakers still use. There are further varying dialectal realizations such as: θwɣ, ɕw, çwɣ, ɣw, χw, ħw, hw. #n adopts the PoA of whichever plosive/fricative it precedes. E.g. ng becomes ŋg – except if it follows a bilabial or alveolo-palatal sound. #/n/ often loses voice in front of /t/ and becomes n̥. The same happens with /mp/, /ňṭ/ and /nk/. # /ɾ/ is in free variation with r, ʀ and ʁ. #Back vowels cause the following /l/ and /l̥/ to be velarized. #If a voiced sound precedes an unvoiced one, it loses its voice and vice versa. #In any cluster of two or more alveolar/post-alveolar/palato-alveolar sounds, the first one(s) assimilate(s) its/their PoA to the following sound(s). #/k/ and /g/ are realized as ɕ/ʑ in front of ø>. /ki, ky, ke, kø, gi, gy, ge, gø/ are represented as ø, gui, guy, goe, goø>. #Adding to alveolar sounds yields alveolo-palatal sounds: ȵ, ȴ, ȶ, ɕ, ʑ, voiceless ȴ, etc. # and is realized as ɕ (if in stressed syllable or word-initial), else as ʑ. #/ɾ/ + /d or t/ yields r. #/ʋ, j/ surrounded by two consonants yields syllabic ʊ/ɪ. #Alveolo-Palatals, /l̥/ and /xw/ only appear in open class words. #tɕ becomes ȶɕ, and tʃ becomes tʃ. #Many dialects still obtain the pharyngeal fricative ħ, and contrast it with h. Also many speakers pharyngealize many sounds when in the environment of back vowels: ðʕ, zʕ, ʑʕ, ʒʕ, lʕ, l̥ʕ, nʕ, etc. #Earlier stages of Begonian used phonemic ejectives. This is still visible in modern-day writing, as /t/, /p/, /ȶ/ and /k/ can appear geminate in writing – this however has no effect on pronounciation. The alveolo-palatal ejective was often realized as ç’ or sometimes ɕ’, x’ or χ’, which has retained in some dialects for <ṭṭ> and . #/f/ and /v/ only appear in loanwords and are usually replaced by ʋ, ð and/or θ. #An epenthetic ɦ is added between words ending/beginning with vowels. Syllable structure ©©CV/VC/CVC©; V ~ any mono- or diphthong, C ~ any consonant (semi-vowels included) Phonotactical restrictions Forbidden clusters *CCCC */t, d, ȡ, ȶ/ + /ð, θ/ */g, k/ + /x, ʍ/ */b, p, m, n/ + /ʋ/ */xw/ + C These are solved by inserting the preceding vowel. *VVV This forbidden cluster is split by an epenthetic -n-. *Plosive + Plosive *Plosive + Nasal */t, d/ + /l/ */k, l/ may not appear in both onset and coda. These clusters are solved by turning the first sound into its correspondent fricative. In the last case, also the orthographic representation is adapted. *Sequence of two or more different alveolar/post-alveolar/alveolo-palatal fricatives. Solved by deleting the sound coming first in the cluster. Allowed word-initial CCC clusters *Fricative-Plosive-Liquid *Plosive-Fricative-/j, ʋ/ *Fricative-Nasal-/j/ *Plosive-Liquid-/j/ (unless /dl, tl/) Furthermore *Any cluster consisiting of more than one dental/alveolar/post-alveolar/palato-alveolar fricative is forbidden. *All phonemes except for l̥, xw and h can appear word-terminally. Geminates < p, t, k, m, n, r > appear geminate in writing if affix sequence were to produce such forms, all other sounds are represented with one letter in writing, if that happens. Historic Development Above is the phonemic inventory of Old Begonian: #The palatalized alveolar series has shifted into alveolo-palatal; palatalized r, l and voiceless l were lost on the way. #The retroflex series has moved to post-alveolar; the plosives were lost on the way. #The bilabial fricatives have shifted to labio-dental. #The labio-dental voiced fricative has changed into an approximant. #The coarticulated palatal-velar fricative has changed into a labialized velar fricative and/or voiceless labio-velar approximant. (free variation) #The alveolar trill and flap have merged. Furthermore, the Begonian phoneme inventory also included ejectives and pharyngealized vowels (as result of influence from another language) but they have been dropped off standard language rather quickly, however are still present in many dialects. Vowels Monophthongs Diphthongs Additionally, Begonian employs the following diphthongs: Allophony #/ɨ/ has the allophone ʉ after sounds with a labialized quality. #/æ/ at the beginning of a word is written as . #/ɒ/ In free variation with ɔ. #The slashes indicate there are two main dialectal realizations. Some dialects reduce the diphthongs to its second vowel. #Nasal consonants cause the preceding vowels to be nasalized. #Open-class words can have (phonemic) pitch accent on their first syllable in the root. It’s usually a rising-falling tone and is applied to ca. 5-10% of all words. Unstressed Position (Pro) Nouns Declension Begonian is an agglutinating (for the most part), tripartite language: f.e. declension of the noun ˈkɒ̃m.pjʏ.ʰtəɾ #If the root ends in a vowel, it is deleted when adding a suffix starting with another vowel. #The declension depends on whether the nucleus of the last syllable in the root is front (then the blue endings apply) or back (then the green endings apply.) If the ending contains only central vowels, no differentiation is made. #Benefactive is becoming increasingly archaic and can be replaced by the dative. #Begonian differentiates between dual and plural (more than 2). -h- is the duality marker, while -þ- is the plurality marker. #Begonian is a (partly) ergative language – meaning that a suffix (here: -'eg') has to be added to signalize that the following verb is (di)transitive. Vowel Harmony Morphonological rules: If... #...declension/conjugation ever lead to a form including a forbidden sound sequence the vowel directly preceding that is added in between. #...two diphthongs clash, the first is being reduced to its corresponding monophthong. (-héín --> -heín) #...a diphthong precedes a monophthong, it is being reduced aswell. (-héym --> -heym) #...the root ends in three consonants and the suffix starts with a consonant, then the nucleus of the last syllable of the root gets added in between: (-CaCCC+C --> –CaCCCaC; not –CaCCCC) Affricates count as two consonants in Rule 3. #...more than three vowels clash, the vowel-cluster is reduced to its last two constituents. #...identical vowels/diphthongs clash, they are reduced to one: (-hééna --> -héna) Notice that these rules only apply for the pronounciation, the graphemic representation is not affected. Possession Words like “my”, “your”, etc. are expressed in suffixes: *The first /o/ is pronounced as an e-Schwa. There are two possibilities to express possession of the third person – both are completely equivalent in meaning. The same morphological rules apply. Again, endings are differentianted by front vs. back. If possession and case markers combine, possession markers precede the case markers, e.g.: without my two computers: kåmpjuter-et-hé-ned vs. without our (two) computer: kåmpjuter-ét-ned vs. without our (two) two computers: kåmpjuter-ét-hé-ned Stress/Prosodic Features Stress is usually conveyed with a rising, or rising/falling tone, depending on the speaker. #In words with three syllables or fewer, there’s always slight stress on the first syllable. #In words with more than three syllables, the first and fourth syllable are being stressed. #In clusters of affixes, the first syllable is being stressed, independently of where stress is placed in the root of the word: *SW1-SW2-SF1-SF2 would have its stress on the first and third syllable *SW1-SW2-SW3-SW4-SW5-SF1-SF2 on the first, fourth and sixth *SF1-SF2-SW1-SW2-SF1-SF2-SF3 on the first, third and fifth (SW = syllable in the root, SF = syllable in the affix cluster.) Preaspiration #Can only fall on /p, t, ȶ, k/ or the correspondent affricates. #First /p, t, ȶ, k/ of a word is preaspirated, unless it is in the onset of a stressed syllable (which is when it it (post)aspirated) or in the coda of the last syllable (which is where there’s no aspiration at all). #If any of the four mentioned sounds appear together with another consonant, aspiration is blocked altogether. #Preaspiration and non-aspiration are always in alternation: /tata/ would be thata, /tatata/ would be thatahta, /natata/ would be nahtata, /natatat/ would be nahtatat, /nanatat/ would be nanahtat, /'na'tana'ta'tat/ would be nahtanathatat, /'ta'tanta'ta'tata/ would be thatantathatahta. #Preaspiration can’t fall on syllables with /h/ in the onset. #'Preaspiration is not phonemic and in fact you may aspirate sounds as you wish, this is just the most common realization.' Pronominal Pronouns Possibility 1 #Differentiation between singular and dual only in spelling. #No differentiation between singular and dual. #No differentiation in gender. #Inanimate, tangible objects would still be assigned "egis". However, statements or other abstract/non-tangible things are referred to with "ád". Begonian further gives the possibility to differentiate between inclusive and exclusive “we”: Inclusive “we” is the standard usage, to express that the speaker himself is not included, add the postposition: “mæsvned”. Declension of pronominal pronouns Declension of personal pronouns do not follow the morphophonological rules behind the declension of open class words. For nominative and dative/accusative just add the same endings and apply the same rules as listed above. For the other cases, the endings are added to a different root: becomes for ergative, for genitive, etc. This also adds a second possibility to express possession: kåmpjuterníd vs. kåmpjuter tuvín (=your computer) Though the second version sounds a bit old-fashioned and isn’t really used by younger speakers. Possibility 2 This becomes relevant in sentences with a simple direct (dative) and/or indirect (accusative) object. In this case pronominal pronouns may be represented as simple affixes put ahead of the affixes of verb conjugation: (Naiddeg) mæsvi kýdžak. (3SG-ERG) 1SG-ACC hear-(3SG.PRES) Naidd-0-eg mæsv-0-i kýdž-ak. = He hears me. means the same as - simply: Kýdžrak. hear-(1SG-ACC)-(3SG.PRES) Kýdž-r(a)-ak. This method can be used for the other cases than Dative/Accusative aswell: Bansakuísakivak. do-(3SG.AN-BENE)-(3SG.INAN.ACC)-PROG-PRES-IND-SG-3 Ban-sak(u)-í-sak-iv-0-0-a-k = He is doing it for us. Demonstrative Pronouns There is no differentiation between whether the object being referred to is close to the speaker or further away. <''Óm'' (ómeg, ómín, …)> can be used to refer to objects from previous sentences or objects that are very far away (comparable to German “jene”). Moreover, it serves as contrast: “I don’t like these (jáÞi), but I do like those (ómi).” Indefiniteness To express indefiniteness add the particle “ápy” (optional): The computer: /kåmpjuter/ A computer: /kåmpjuter ápy/ Ápy is used when one wants to refer to something in general (e.g. as in “I love cats (ápy).”) or in a similar matter the indefinite article is used in English, but not as frequently: The object(s) referred to need to be even “more indefinite”.* *really no idea how to explain that one more appropriately. Relative Pronouns Relative pronouns have to be put at the very beginning of a subordinate clause and follow the same declension as nouns. Verbs Verbs can begin and end with any phoneme, as long as the phonotactical rules aren’t breached. Basically it’s not possible to tell verbs apart from nouns in isolation. Conjugation Non-Finite Forms However, there are certain prefixes speakers can employ to signalize that he is using certain infinite forms: e.g. for ’khʌtaɪ̯ (grow, increase – intrans.), ’ɾizɐn (sit) Again, one has to differentiate two different sets of prefixes that are used depending on whether it’s surrounded by front or back vowels. Present Indicative Basic verb conjugation in the present''' tense (indicative)'' works as follows: Indicative is used whenever something is likely to happen, happens regularly, or happens at the moment. When two vowels clash, the vowel of the root wins. Present Irrealis Conjugation in the ''irrealis mode – presens'': The irrealis marker is –'š'. This mode is used whenever one wants to express that one hopes/fears for something to happen, or would do something, thinks something is unlikely/impossible, or he’s not entirely sure whether something is to happen, or there’s not sufficient information etc. Which affix to employ depends on whether it is surrounded by front or back vowels. In the dual versions, is pronounced as /x/. Immediate Past Indicative PST.IMMEDIATE.IND is -'p'- in singular and -'þ'- for dual and plural. Also, DUAL-PST.IMMEDIATE is a zero morpheme in this case. Remote Past Indicative Irregular verbs ja (= to be) and goelja '(= to have) have their own conjugation – for presens/indicative: Immediate/Remote Distinction Basically, immediate past is used when the the action referred to has happened not too long before and still has consequences until speaker’s time. However, the definition of “not too long” is relative: One uses the immediate past to express that one thinks something happened not too long ago, so for the sentence: “The last big war happened (only) 1000 years ago.” You would want to use the immediate past, when you think 1000 years is not much time in this case – or another example: “Dinosaurs have gone extinct (only) 65 mil. years ago.” …whereas one uses the remote past to express something happened a long time ago in relation to the context: “Man, it’s been over 50 years since Schalke 04 last won the German championsship.” --> would warrant for the usage of the remote past, even though 50-odd years is by far not as long a time span as 1000 years or 65 million years. To make things more drastic: ''“I’ve already come home 3 hours ago (instead of, let’s say, 1 hour as expected).” --> would also warrant for the usage of the remote past. Apart from a very few cases, you would never produce an ungrammtical sentence if you wrongly used the other past tense than intended, it’s just you’d express something else. In sentences where more than one actions are being described and one happened before the other, you have to use the remote past for the former action and immediate past for the latter. Immediate Past Irrealis PST.IMMEDIATE.1/2/3.PL. is -'''á-. Remote Past Irrealis Immediate Future 1Note that in these cases, vowel assimilation does not apply. Also the future tense is special in that fusional endings are applied. Distant Future The rule behind the usage of the two future forms is similar to that of the past forms – if something happens soon in relation to the context, use the immediate form, otherwise use the distant form. Negation In order to negate verb, just add /é(n)-/: /rizanél/ --> /érizanél, érizanýr/, ... Imperative Imperative is formed by using the correspondent irrealis forms: Rizanšýr! (Sit (Sg.) down!) – Myllnšvýr! (Throw (Pl.)!) Gerund Gerund ''is formed by adding /-(i)lut-/ to the root of the verb and by adding the same endings as for nouns. /rizanilut kjódza/ ‘ɕɔʊdzɐ (= the sitting boy, Abs.) Aspect Affix sequence Wherever it says "other" the sequence is arbitrary (though usually listed by topic, with the most "important" affix being put as front as possible) Voice Begonian employs an antipassive voice: '''Mæsveg halvadi pujamrakól.' 1-ERG cat-ACC see-(3.ACC.IO)-PRS-IND-SG-1 mæsv-eg halvad-i pujam-rak-0-0-ó-l = I see the cat. or: Mæsveg halvadi pujam iþrak. 1-ERG cat-ACC PRS-see.INF AUX.(1.ERG-3.ACC.IO) mæsv-eg halvad-i 0-pujam iþ-rak = I see the cat. (more on polypersonal verb agreement in chapter 4) becomes: Mæna pujamjól. 1.ABS see-'AP'-PRS-IND-SG-1 mæna pujam-'ja'-0-0-ó-l = I see. (literally) Passive is formed by inserting the antipassive affix -ja- and deleting the patient of the active phrase - though that doesn't always have to happen, the patient can be added in the causative case - and put after the verb. This poses an exception to the otherwise strict SOV order. If no specfic agent needs to be specified it can be left out and the verb of the sentence is in its correspondent non-finite form plus the antipassive marker. There is another marker -épo- which signalizes something happens without the agent's control/volition/intention and works something like a medio-passive marker. Reflexivity To express reflexivity use /vax, vaxeg, vaxín,.../ and add it right next to the subject it’s referring to. Syntax Begonian is a predominantly head-final/left-branching language. Basic word order is strictly SOV 'both for main and subordinate clauses. The objects themselves may be freely scrambled though. Instead of adding all the endings to each word, one can choose to leave them away and instead stack them in front of or after the verb... an example: '(1) Rizanilut(eg) kjódzog ẋuivi halvadéna urizezæned myllnpak. ' ˈɕɔʊ̯.d͡zʊ ˈxʷʉ.ʋaɪ̯ ˈhal.ʋaˌðɛ̃æ̯̃.nɐ ˈɦu.ɾaɪ̯.zɪˌzæ̃.nə ˈmyl̥n.pʰak Sit-GER-ERG boy-ERG snow-ACC cat-ALL admission-(1P.POSS)-ABE throw-PST-3SG.IND Rizan-ilut-(eg) kjódz-og ẋuiv-i halvad-éna urize-zæ-ned mylln-p-ak. ''= The sitting boy threw snow at the cat without my admission. Polypersonal Verb Agreement The following sentence has the exact same meaning: (2) Rizaniluteg kjódzog ẋuivi halvad urizezæ '''énaned '''mamyllny i'þrak'. ˈɕɔʊ̯.d͡zʊ ˈxʷʉ.ʋaɪ̯ ˈhal.ʋɐ ˈɦu.ɾaɪ̯.zɪˌzæ ˈɦɛ̃æ̯̃.nã.nə ˈmã.myl̥.ny ˈɦiθ.rɐk Sit-GER-ERG boy-ERG snow-ACC cat-ABS admission-(1P.POSS)-ABS ALL-ABE (INF.PST.IND)-throw AUX.(3SG.ERG.AN-3SG.ACC) Rizan-ilut-eg kjódz-og ẋuiv-i halvad-0 urize-zæ-0 éna-ned ma-myllny iþ-rak. It is important to keep the right order in the case marking clusters. The following sentence... Rizaniluteg kjódzog ẋuivi halvad urizezæ '''nedéna' mamyllny iþrak. ˈɕɔʊ̯.d͡zʊ ˈxʷʉ.ʋaɪ̯ ˈhal.ʋɐ ˈɦu.ɾaɪ̯.zɪˌzæ ˈne.ðɛ̃æ̯̃.nɐ ˈmã.myl̥.ny ˈɦiθ.rɐk Sit-GER-ERG boy-ERG snow-ACC cat-ABS admission-(1P.POSS)-ABS ABE-ALL (INF.PST.IND)-throw AUX.(3SG.ERG.AN-3SG.ACC) Rizan-ilut-eg kjódz-og ẋuiv-i halvad-0 urize-zæ-0 ned-éna ma-myllny iþ-rak. ...would translate to: The sitting boy threw snow at my admission without the cat. (1) is the formal alternative, (2) is used in casual/informal conversations. PPVA cannot '''be used in sentences with intransitive verbs. Word order in sentences like (2): SUBJ - (dir. O) - indir. O - (adverbs) - case cluster - infinite verb (affixes) - Verb cluster To '''negate a sentence add /é-/ to the verb. To negate special aspects of a sentence add the /é-/ to whichever word you want to negate: Rizanilut(eg) kjódzog ẋuivi halvadéna urizezæned é'''myllnpak. (É')rizanilut(eg) 'é'kjódzog ẋuivi halvadéna urizezæned émyllnpak. Rizanilut(eg) kjódzog ẋuivi 'é'halvadéna urizezæned émyllnpak. One only has to add necessary affixes to the head of a phrase, but may opt to add it to the rest of the phrase for extra clarity. Questions To '''form questions', pull the verb to the front and add /há/ right after it: Myllnpak há rizanilut(eg) kjódzog ẋuivi halvadéna urizezæned? Myllnpak há ẋuivi halvadéna urizezæned rizanilut(eg) kjódzog? (etc.) = Did the sitting boy throw snow at the cat without my admission? Questions are answered either by replying with “'Vjédi'” (Yes) or “'Næg'” (No) Myllnpak hávjédi rizanilut(eg) kjódzog ẋuivi halvadéna urizezæned? Would imply the speakers expects a “yes” as answer. Relative Clauses Relative clauses are initiated using ak '''and closed by ésta'/áti (abstract)' and directly precede the referent. Rizanilut(eg) kjódzog ẋuivi halvadéna '''ak' naiddeg lá sš pak ésti urizezæned myllnpak. ˈɕɔʊ̯.d͡zʊ ˈxʷʉ.ʋaɪ̯ ˈhal.ʋaˌðɛ̃æ̯̃.nɐ ak ˈnaɪ̯.də ˈlaʊ̯.ʃpʰak ˈɛæ̯s.ti ˈɦu.ɾaɪ̯.zɪˌzæ̃.nə ˈmyl̥n.pʰak Sit-GER-ERG boy-ERG snow-ACC cat-ALL REL 3SG-ERG need-IRR-PST-SG-3 REL-ACC admission-(1P.POSS)-ABE throw-PST-SG-3 Rizan-ilut-(eg) kjódz-og ẋuiv-i halvad-éna ak naidd-eg las-š-p-a-k ést-i urize-zæ-ned mylln-p-a-k = The sitting boy threw snow at the cat without my admission, which he would have needed. However, relative clauses are initiated only by ésta/áti and follow its referent, if there is another clause embedded in that relative clause. Dependent Phrases Similar to relative clauses, dependent phrases are initiated with the particle ak and closed by ek+case suffix: Rizanilut(eg) kjódzog ak naiddeg (ómeg) ád ématšpak ekui dinjak. ˈɕɔʊ̯.d͡zʊ ak ˈnaɪ.də aʊ̯ð ˈɛ̃æ̯̃.maˌʰtʃpɐk ˈeʰ.ki ˈdĩ.ȵɐk Sit-GER-ERG boy-ERG say-3SG, NEG-do-PST-SG-3 CNJ 3SG-ERG 3SG.INAN CNJ-ACC Rizan-ilut-(eg) kjódz-og ak naidd-eg ád é-mat-š-p-a-k ek(u)-i dinja-k = The boy said, that he didn’t do it. Again, if there is another clause embedded, they follow its referent and are only initiated with ek. In the example above, the subordinate phrase is the object of the whole sentence, so you have to add the corresponding ending /-i/ to the subordinate conjunction. If the subordinate phrase is the subject of the sentence, it is only initiated by ek. Furthermore, the subject of the subject phrase has to be repeated in the subsequent phrase: Ek naiddeg ád ématýnpak, ád évoryk. ‘naɪ̯.də ‘aʊð ‘ɛ̃æ̯̃.maˌʰtʏ̃ɵ̯̃n.pɐk aʊ̯ð 'ɛæ̯.ʋʊ,ɾysk CNJ-'ABS' 3SG-ERG 3SG.INAN NEG-do-PST-3SG, 3.ABS.INAN NEG-be_true-3SG Ek-0 naidd-eg ád é-matýn-p-ak, ád é-vory-k. = That (Abs.) he didn’t do it, is not true. Ekoeg naiddeg ád ématýnpak, ád naiddi palltapak. ‘naɪ̯.də ‘aʊð ‘ɛ̃æ̯̃.maˌʰtʏ̃ɵ̯̃n.pɐk aʊ̯ð ˈnaɪ̯.di ˈphaɬ.taˌpʰak CNJ-'ERG' 3SG-ERG 3SG.INAN NEG-do-PST-3SG, 3.ABS.INAN 3-ACC shock-PST-3SG Ek(o)-eg naidd-eg ád é-matýn-p-ak, ád naidd-i pallta-p-ak = That (Erg.) he didn’t do it, shocked her. Conjunctions List of some of the most important subordinate conjunctions: Verbal constructions Džon (vi)žapystak, ekui køndecéna (vi)ṡytivi. (PRES.IND.INF)-prepare-3.SG.IND, CNJ-ACC test-ALL (PRES.IND.INF)-learn Džon-0 vi-žapyst-ak, ek(u)-i køndec-éna vi-ṡytivi. = John prepares to learn for the test. to-clauses are formed by implementing subordinate clauses. This is, unless the subclause only consists of a single non-finite form, where that can be put next to the finite form: Džon (vi)ṡytivi žapystak. John-ABS PRES.IND.INF-learn prepare-3.SG.IND Džon-0 vi-ṡytivi žapyst-ak. = John prepares to learn Topic Marking To stress a certain aspect of the sentence, add the particle ak next to the word in quesion: (1) Ak mja halvadi pjukuipak''' ekui''' madinja iþsaň. mja ˈhal.ʋaˌði ˈpju.ʰkɨˌpʰak ˈeʰki ˈma.ðãɪ̯̃.ȵɐ ˈiθ.sɐ̃ȵ SAME cat-ACC feed-PST-3SG CNJ-ACC PST-say-INF AUX.(3SG AN-1SG) Ak mja halvad-i pjukui-p-ak ek(u)-i ma-dinja iþ-saň. (= He told me, that he fed the cat.) (2) Ak mja halvadi ak pjukuipak''' ekui''' madinja iþsaň. SAME cat-ACC TOP feed-PST-3SG CNJ-ACC PST-say-INF AUX.(3SG AN-1SG) (= He told me, that it was the cat that he fed.) (3) Ak mja halvadi pjukuipak ak''' ekui''' madinja iþsaň. SAME cat-ACC feed-PST-3SG TOP CNJ-ACC PST-say-INF AUX.(3SG AN-1SG) (= He told me, that it was that he fed the cat.) (1) is the unmarked situation. If a certain aspect of the subordinate clause is stressed use the “neutral” conjuncion /ak/ and place ekui after the word which forms the focus. It is also possible to include the topic particle into the affix cluster to stress certain grammatical information: (4) Ak mja halvadi pjukuipaxak''' ekui''' madinja iþsaň. SAME cat-ACC feed-PST-TOP-3SG CNJ-ACC PST-say-INF AUX.(3SG AN-1SG) (= He told me, that it was that he fed the cat at some point in the past.) Note that the surface representation in this case is < ax >, because /k/ is not allowed in both onset and coda. Correlatives Syntax of W-questions: Begin with the verb, then the pronomen, then Subject-Object. Rizanilut(eg) kjódzog ẋuivi halvadéna urizezæned myllný --> Myllnpak hággui rizaniluteg kjódzog halvadéna urizezæned? (= What did the boy throw... ?) Myllnpak hákbo rizaniluteg kjódzog halvadéna urizezæned? (=When did he do it?) Myllnpak hákoéna ... ? (=Where/To whose direction did he throw it?) Myllnpak hággned ...? (=Without what did he throw it?) Myllnpak hákoeg ...? (=Who threw the snow to the cat w/o my admission?) Further examples: Rizaniluteg kjódzog ak naiddeg ád matýnpak '''éstec'i''' édinjak. (= The boy doesn’t say, where (Acc)''' he did it.) Rizaniluteg kjódzog ak naiddeg ád matýnpak '''hékvi''' édinjak. (= The boy doesn’t say, '''how (Acc)''' he did it.) Rizaniluteg kjódzog ak naiddeg ád matýnpak '''hékoéni''' édinjak. (= The boy doesn’t say, '''in which direction (Acc)' he did (throw) it.) Ambiguities In phrases where '''more than one '''person is being referred to, it is possible to add markers to avoid ambiguities: ''Naiddegap mæsvi palltavyk, naiddegep mæsvi épalltavyk. Jástegap / Jástegoep... = The one person shocks me, the other doesn’t. The former / The latter ... However one can replace “naiddegap” by “jásteg” and “naiddegep” by “ómeg” and have the problem put aside. (1) Džonogg'''ap þá Melisegg'ap' oðkami'ep' ixóppak, hrak ep skænytvøkpak. θaʊ̯ ˈme.laɪ̯.sɪˌgap ˈoð.kãˌmi.ɪp ˈix.ɔʊ̯ˌpʰak hɾak eʰp ˈskæ̃.nyʰtˌʋøx.pɐk [John-ERG-'DET' and Melissa-ERG-'DET' ticket-ACC-'DET' buy=want-PST-3PL, but DET be_sold out-all-PST-3PL Džon-og(g)-ap þá Melis-eg(g)-ap oðkam-i-ep ix-óp-p-ak, hrak ep skænyt-vøk-p-ak. John and Melissa(-'''ap') wanted to buy concert tickets(-'ep'), but they(-'ep') were all sold out.'' -ep signifies in this case, that the subject of the subclause is not identical with the one in the main phrase. Let’s add a second sentence: (2) They instead went to the people in the bar. What is “they” referring to? In Begonian, one can add “-ap” to clearify, that John and Melissa are the subject of the sentence, and “-ep” for the tickets to be the subject. Since there are no separate pronomina for masculine/feminine, these markers come in handy very often. There is no obligation to use “-ap” and “-ep” for markers, one could use whatever s/he wants, as long as everything remains pragmatical. Switch Reference Also, one has the possibility to add the postposition “nén” to signify, that an object of one part of a sentence is not identical with that of the other “I am working a book, he’s working on a book “nén”: Jálkamaňæde vunókjola kuymne iktarrak, toňix naiddinén hjeména pryhaṭpél. ˈʋũnɔʊ̯ɕʊˌla ˈkʰỹmnə 'ix.taˌrɐk ˈtʰõɲ̟aɪ̯x̟ ˈnaɪ̯dĩnɛ̃æ̯̃n ˈhjẽmɛ̃æ̯̃nɐ ˈpɾyhaspɛæ̯l [Mathematics-INSTR INF-teach try AUX.(1SG-3SG.AN.DO-3SG.INAN.IO), then 3SG-ACC-'DIFF' home-ALL drive-PST-1SG] Jálkamaň-æde vu-nókjola kuymne ik-tar-rak, toňix naidd-i-nén hjem-éna pryhaṭ-p-eli. = I tried to teach him mathematics, later I drove him (another ‘him’) home. The opposite is also possible with the postposition “mja”: Jálkamaňæde vunókjola kuymne iktarrak, toňix naiddimja hjeména pryhaṭpél. ˈʋũnɔʊ̯ɕʊˌla ˈkʰỹmnə 'ix.taˌrɐk ˈtʰõɲ̟aɪ̯x̟ ˈnaɪ̯dĩmjɐ ˈhjẽmɛ̃æ̯̃nɐ ˈpɾyhaspɛæ̯l [Mathematics-INSTR INF-teach try AUX.(1SG-3SG.AN.DO-3SG.INAN.IO), then 3SG-ACC-'SAME' home-ALL drive-PST-1SG] = I tried to teach him mathematics, later I drove him (the same ‘him’) home. If the subject of the main and subordinate phrase is identical, one can use /óm, ómeg, .../ in the subordinate phrase aswell: Jálkamaňæde vunókjola kuymne iktarrak, toňix 'ómi hjeména pryhaṭpél.'' Copula Adjectives can also work like verbs, just add the correspondent verb affixes: Jást yzlor '''épógyaxak. ˈyz.lʊɾ ˈɛæ̯.ʰpɔʊ̯.ʑa,xak DEM-ABS overview-ABS NEG-be_boring-3SG.PRES Jást-0 yzlor-0 é-pógyak-ak = This overview is not boring. (yeah right...) For nouns, the verb “ja” (to be) functions as copulum. Adjectives Adjectives usually precede the noun they describe, but are put afterwards in order to express subjective opinion/preception. One can also leave out the endings if it isn’t felt to be necessary to carry across the gist of a sentence. Adverbs Adverbs ''are formed by adding the suffix /-es (front), -os (back)/: /mésto/ (fast, adj.) --> /ésmésto/ (fast, adverb). /-ínus/ can be added to the root of the adjective to express ''similarity: /kágillt/ (king) vs. /kágilltínus/ (king-like) /-mán/ can be added to the root of the adjective to transform it into nouns: /vaḍun/ (play) --> /vaḍunmán/ Comparisons /-mít-/ forms the comparative form of adjectives: /kágilltínusmít/ (more king-like) Vaḍunmánog hjamulu þ''' ' å ápy éskágilltínusmít mæsthé'ix''' myllnýk. ‘hjã.mʏ,lu.θɒ ‘ɦaʊ.ʰpy ‘ɛæ̯s.kaʊ.ʑil̥,tʰɪ̃ə̯̃.nʏs.mɪə̯t ˈmæst,hɛ.ix ˈmyɬˌnʏ̃ɵ̯k ball-ACC-PL NDEF ADV-king-SEMBL-COMP 1-DUAL-COMP throw-3SG.PRES Vaḍun-mán-og hjamul-u-þå ápy és-kágillt-ínus-mít mæst-hé-ix myllný-k. = The player throws baseballs more king-like than us two. There’s no separate superlative form – in order to express that someone is the best at something one uses the comparative form without comparing anyone: Vaḍunmánog hjamuluþå ápy éskágilltínusmít myllnýk. = The player throws baseballs the most king-like. = The player throws baseballs very king-like. (is another possible translation) as... as – construction: Vaḍunmánog hjamuluþå ápy éskágilltínusmít mæsthé'iut' (= Essive) myllnýk. = The player throws baseballs as '''king-like '''as us two. Note that one is using the comparative form here aswell. Modifications Dialectal Realizations Phonology #Alveolo-palatal series shifts into true palatal. This never happens without also backing the velar series a bit, most frequently in the environment of back vowels. #Preaspirated consonants are dropped and instead the preceding vowel is devoiced. #Coda devoicing. #Syncope of unpronounced syllables with ə or ɐ. #Dropping nasals after vowels and just nasalizing those preceding vowels instead. #Pharyngealization between back vowels. #Replacing /h/ with its pharyngeal counterpart ħ when /h/ appears together with another consonant in onset/coda. #Diphthongs lose their second component + compensatory lengthening: Among other also these shifts: Grammar #The dual-affix -h- is pronounced χ. #Polypersonal verb agreement is used much more frequently. Lexicon #næma (standard) vs. tjók (dialectal): house #køṡum (standard) vs. eþóm (dialectal): school